


A Beautiful Tragedy

by SixofCrowsBabies



Category: The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/M, Gen, Name Changes, Neighbors, Nick and Gina are those gross lovebirds everyone aspires to be, Other, Rape tag is there because of some mentions, jealous!Zoya, lana del rey songs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2018-12-22 18:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 11,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11972682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SixofCrowsBabies/pseuds/SixofCrowsBabies
Summary: Modern AU in which Alina, Genya, and Zoya, AKA Alyssa, Gina, and Zara are housemates just trying to survive.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully this will be long, probably not gonna be updated too frequently though, and it'll be kinda like a sitcom with the "wacky adventures" and stuff. Also Nikolai AKA Nick will be the next door neighbor...interesting, right? (Wiggles eyebrows) Anyways, please comment and enjoy!

Alyssa flew through the door, slamming it closed, threw her backpack somewhere, and slammed a bladder buster size Monster Energy on the kitchen counter. 

"I'm going to die," was all she said, then started drinking. 

"Alyssa," Gina exclaimed, running to her friend/roommate. "What are you doing?!"

"Dying," the white haired girl replied, then started drinking again.

Gina shook her head. After Alyssa's accident a few months ago that had been the result of an electrical blowout and left the former brunette's hair white, she had never been quite the same. Gina wasn't the voice of reason slash cynical one in the house though, that was Zara. Gina was just the one who made people pretty and made most of the money. Zara was unemployed, and Alyssa worked at a lighting company and was an aspiring artist who painted murals in her free time. Gina was a model and makeup artist. She had flawless skin, pretty golden brown eyes, and short curly red hair. Zara honestly could be a model, with her black hair and dark blue eyes and her face, but she was a few inches too short and couldn't find work. 

"Why are you dying," the redhead asked Alyssa.

Alyssa stopped drinking and looked up at her. "The neighbor was really testing my patience."

Gina had to shrug and nod. Their next door neighbor Nick was half charming and half slap-worthy, depending on everyone's mood. But Gina had to admit that the man could dress, and he was pretty handsome.

Zara rushed in the door a second later, hair windblown and staggering slightly. 

Gina raised an eyebrow but said nothing, just shaking her head. She walked to the fridge, grabbing Alyssa's cup on the way, much to the white haired woman's dismay, and grabbed a bowl of fruit from the fridge. 

"Sometimes I really hate living in a big city," Zara stated. "The traffic was too much so I had to park my car somewhere and walk down freaking Mayweather Avenue in these heels, all to be rewarded by Nick talking my ear off as I was trying to make sure nothing had blown out of my purse..."

The other two were staring at her. Zara sighed, rolled her eyes, and sat down. She took out a small brush and started fixing her hair. 

"Well, I had a nice day," said Gina. "Compared to you two at least."

But it was Friday, the work week was over, and they could relax and do whatever for a few days. 

"Ooh," Gina exclaimed suddenly. Whenever she did that, she jumped a little, which made her curls bounce. It always made Alyssa and Zara laugh. "How about we go to my parents' lake house! It's in the middle of nowhere, it's big, we can drive the boat and jet ski around..."

The other women happily agreed. Zara had to go get her car from whatever alley it was parked in, and Gina had to call her parents to make sure it was okay that they went, and Alyssa had to put her drink in the freezer for when she needed it again, and then they were ready for the hours of driving and the days of relaxation that would come next. 


	2. The Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls take a road trip to the lake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, Surprise, I'm getting inspo for this from my own experiences, AKA I'm literally writing this in my bed at a lake house. Enjoy!

They decided to take Gina's car, a white convertible with a surprisingly big trunk. They brought a ton of food, leaving barely enough space for their clothes and belongings. 

The lake was a few hours away, which meant a road trip. They played Zara's playlist and rode with the top down and sang along and ate snacks. 

After the first hour, they got a little bored. Alyssa had brought her sketchbook and was trying to sketch landmarks they passed, but they were going to fast it was hard to tell. Zara was reading, but then she started to feel carsick, so she just had to stop and stare out the window. Gina was getting a little bored driving in a straight line. 

After the second hour, it started to rain. They started screaming and trying to cover the important things up while Gina found cover. She couldn't put the top up or down while the car was moving, so she sped up and practically flew up the next exit ramp. 

They pulled over at a restaurant and put the top up. They were all breathing heavily. Gina was lamenting over her car getting so wet. Alyssa's backpack, which she had kept next to her in the backseat, was right in the line of fire of the rain, so it had gotten soaked. Zara was upset about how much her hair frizzed. Gina heavily agreed with that, her curly hair getting quite untidy. Alyssa had straight hair, so she wasn't really experiencing that. 

After a few minutes of panting and trying to save things that had gotten wet, they got back in and continued on the road.

"You know, this has happened a lot," stated Gina. "Except that usually I don't have anything with me except my purse and usually I'm going so fast I can't even feel it until I slow down. But this is probably the first time you guys had something like that happen."

The others nodded. Alyssa didn't have a car, she was too poor and practical for that, and she had only ridden in a convertible a few times, always with Gina or Zara or other friends. Zara had an SUV, and even though she rode in convertibles plenty of times, it was never in the rain.

They finally got there a half hour later. They were all tired, still pretty wet, and bored out of their minds, but they were there. 


	3. The Lake-Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls spend a weekend at the lake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm probably gonna have the entire lake storyline in two chapters, and what they do after that is gonna be determined later.

"Whoa," said Alyssa as they pulled up to the lake house. It was a huge rustic style house right next to the lake. Down at the dock, a wakeboarding boat, a fishing boat, and a normal boat were parked in their own ports on the dock, along with two jet skis and several tubes and floats. 

"Yeah, if you didn't know somehow, my parents are loaded," Gina stated, then opened the door and went inside.

It was even bigger on the inside. There were six bedrooms, a game room, a dining room with a dozen chairs, and a grand staircase that led to a huge kitchen. 

"Oh, look, the next door neighbor's here too," Alyssa said, looking out the window. An expensive looking car was parked in the driveway next to theirs, and the door was open. 

They chose their bedrooms and unpacked, then got changed into their swimsuits immediately and ran down to the water, after Gina grabbed the keys of course. 

"Take your pick, take your pick," the redhead said, gesturing to all of the boats and jet skis. They unanimously decided on a jet ski first. Gina grabbed the key and hopped on. The others got on behind her. 

Gina spent a few long seconds looking around at everything, seeing how the key worked, all the settings. 

"Do you know how to drive this thing," Zara asked as she finished braiding her hair.

"No I do not," answered Gina. 

"Scooch," Zara said. They switched spots, and Gina handed her the key.

Zara put the key in and started it, and after it beeped twice, said, "Hold on to your hats," and sped off.

She went through the cove relatively slow, but when they got to the open water, she gunned it. There were a ton of boats and jet skis around, which meant tons of wake, and their ski flew over all of it. At one point they were going 60 miles per hour. 

After a few minutes, Zara slowed down to look at houses and boats. 

"Saints," Alyssa panted. "How do you know how to drive this?"

"I used to own a motorcycle," replied Zara. "And this thing is easy enough to figure out."

The other two just nodded silently. Alyssa was lamenting not putting her hair up. There we're already some bad tangles forming. Gina just smirked at her. Her hair was short enough that she didn't really get tangles. 

After that, Gina took them out on a boat ride in the normal boat, and then they just sunbathed and read and talked on the dock. 

"This place is so beautiful at night," Gina said. "A lot of people take their boats out to the main channel and just sit there and watch the sunset. Once I saw four boats that were roped together, and the people were climbing between them to see the sun and talk."

Since the lake was in the middle of nowhere, the drive to town was long. Mid afternoon, they realized they had to go to the grocery store. Gina was tired of driving, so she let Zara drive while her and Alyssa sat in the back.

"How're you liking it," the redhead asked Alyssa. 

"It's amazing," the white haired girl replied. "Are there any real restaurants in town?"

Gina nodded. "There's a Mexican restaurant, and a bar, and a little restaurant within a grocery store. There's no big stores though. The permanent population is literally not even 1,000."

Alyssa nodded. She had always been jealous of people who had second houses or lived in a cool place, and her friend had both. But she wasn't jealous. Gina was adopted, and she didn't get along that well with her parents most of the time growing up, but now she was an adult and barely saw them. Zara lived down the street from her as a kid. Alyssa was new to their town, having just come from a small one a few years ago for school. She had briefly met Gina's parents, and she immediately felt sorry for her friend. Plus, Gina shared a small apartment with the other two even though she didn't have to, so she really wasn't snobby. 

They got to town thirty minutes later, went to the grocery store for a while, then went to the Mexican restaurant to eat. 

After they got back, Gina told them to hurry up and put things away because the sunset was starting. After they put the groceries away, Gina went to the wakeboarding boat. 

It was the nicest boat Alyssa had ever seen. There was wood paneling on the ground, the seats had leather cushions, there were speakers, and it was just so nice. According to Gina it cost 100,000 dollars. 

They drove to the main channel. Sure enough, there were several boats of all kinds just sitting there, watching. Gina started playing music. 

Zara wasn't really paying attention to the sunset, but Alyssa was fascinated by it. She loved the sun, always painted things dealing with it. When it finally disappeared behind the trees, the girls started talking and driving around slowly to look at other people's boats and docks. 

When it started to get somewhat dark, they went back to the house, lifted the boat, and went up to the house to watch the movie Alyssa had rented. 

"Thanks so much for bringing us," Alyssa said to Gina. Zara nodded agreement. 

"My pleasure, Gina replied. "I love coming out here, but only with friends."

They went to bed early. 


	4. The Lake-Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day two of the lake vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, this-http://www.eshorthairstyles.com/25-cool-short-red-curly-hair.html  
> Picture number 22 is what Genya's hair looks like. Also you know, comments make my day, don't you want to make someone's day?

The next morning, Gina and Zara slept in while Alyssa woke up early. She decided to look around after she realized she couldn't get back to sleep. 

The house was huge but relatively empty. There were a few family pictures. One time Alyssa found a picture with the entire extended family, and she guessed that Gina was about ten in it. Her first thought was that Gina was probably the most attractive ten year old ever. Her second thought was that she looked absolutely miserable. She knew Gina's parents weren't the best people, actually they were awful, but she was a little surprised her friend was so open about it. 

Alyssa was secretly adopted too. She had only told Gina, and Zara had found out somehow. Well, she wasn't adopted, she bounced back and forth in the foster system. She was very close to taking an army scholarship, but then she was offered a scholarship from another college. 

She put the picture back and kept walking. As she got farther away from the living room, the decorations were becoming less and less frequent. There was a single door at the end of the hallway that honestly looked like the entrance to either a throne room or a torture dungeon. Alyssa looked at her feet and kept walking.

She somehow found her way back to the kitchen and saw Gina leaning over a cup of coffee.

"Hey," Alyssa said cheerfully. 

Gina's head snapped up, beautiful eyes wide. She coughed and shoved the mug away.

"Hey," she said, sounding a little unsure.

Alyssa sat at the barstool next to her. 

"Let me just say, you were the most beautiful little kid ever," the white haired woman stated.

Gina smiled at her a little and propped her head up on a hand. 

"Your RBF is coming back," Alyssa warned. Gina looked up at her and quickly schooled her features into a more pleasant expression. Gina had always had a Resting Bitch Face, as it was called where she grew up, and she had told the others to help her to defeat it by warning her. But she didn't seem to care too much this time.

Alyssa finally broke down and asked, "Are you okay?"

Gina smiled a little and nodded at first, but after a few seconds, she sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes. A few tears slipped out.

"No," she said softly at first. "No. I'm not okay, Alyssa, I'm not."

"What's wrong," Alyssa asked immediately. 

"I hate my adopted father," the redhead answered. "I hate him with all my heart. We don't talk. He was a pathetic excuse of a human being and shouldn't have been allowed to adopt."

Alyssa just sat there, stunned.

"He raped me," Gina said. "Several times, mostly when I was a teenager. I moved out as fast as possible just to get away. And the worst part is that my adopted mom knew."

Alyssa was even more stunned. She hadn't known this and honestly felt so bad. 

"Why don't we do something to cheer you up," she suggested cheerfully. "Why don't we go meet the next door neighbor!"

Gina swallowed and nodded, her curls bouncing. She wiped her face with one hand, and then they went off.

Even though it was somewhat early, the neighbor's door opened almost immediately. 

Gina and Alyssa's jaws fell to the floor. Nick, their next door neighbor at home, was there.

He looked equally as shocked. 

"You're the neighbor that just moved in," Gina said. "Oh Saints no."

"Well then you must," Nick started, looking at their house. "I guess that explains why your car is parked there."

The girls nodded silently.

"Small world, am I right," he said cheerfully, elbowing Alyssa. She sighed and looked away. 

"Killer boat by the way," said Gina. "I should know, it's the exact same one I have." She smirked. 

"Is it now," Nick asked. He walked outside and looked out at the water. Sure enough, their boats were identical except for color. 

"We should go on a boat ride together sometime," stated Nick. 

"Yes we should," Gina replied. "I'm an excellent wakeboarder."

"So am I," the neighbor stated. 

They both went to get changed. Alyssa went back to the house to tell Zara what just happened.

"Well, what are we sitting inside for," Zara exclaimed. "One of the most handsome, rich, charismatic men in the city is outside, in a swimsuit. I'm going!"

She got changed in a matter of seconds, then spent a little brushing her hair, then ran out the door. 

Alyssa shook her head, grinning, and turned on the TV. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm definitely gonna extend this to at least one more chapter. Also, I wasn't even planning on doing some Nikolai/Genya, but you know, things happen...anyways, enjoy!


	5. The Lake-Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Labor Day is now over and I'm back in school for a few days, there might not be that many updates, but I'm planning something in the storyline, so that's something. Please comment suggestions and thoughts and enjoy!

"That little traitor," Zara said as she bounded down the steps to where Gina and Nick were waiting on his boat. They were both talking and laughing, occasionally leaning in a little too close or looking at each other for a second too long.

Zara knew that Gina was pretty boy crazy and Nick was a bit of a skirt chaser, but she didn't think Gina would be a little traitor and act like this around Nick. Zara at least thought Gina would give her a chance. 

"Are you going on a boat ride without me," Zara said when she got close. Both of them snapped up.

"Well, can you wakeboard," Gina asked.

Zara nodded. 

"Okay, that's what we're doing. You're going to have to be the spotter most of the time."

Zara happily agreed. She couldn't drive a boat, especially not one this nice, and she would get to go and be the third wheel. 

They all got on, grabbed the wakeboard, and Nick sped off to the main channel.

It was pretty empty, which was good. Gina went first. She was actually pretty good, Zara thought. But then she reminded herself that the redhead had been coming to the lake probably her whole life. 

After that, Nick went while Gina drove. He was pretty good too, thought Zara. Okay, he's insanely good, she corrected. He even let go of the rope for a second. When wake from another boat overlapped theirs, he stumbled for a second, then corrected himself. Gina cheered, and he flashed her a smile. Zara tried not to grit her teeth, but it was hard.

After him, Zara went. She had only done it once or twice, and she had fallen pretty quickly every time, but she could at least try. 

The second the boat started driving, she tried to reposition her feet and promptly fell. When she came back up, both Gina and Nick were laughing. Zara noticed that her roommate was sitting on the seat right next to Nick's. 

Zara tried again, and she got a few feet this time before falling again. She declared that she was done and got back in. 

She sat in the back, painfully aware of the two almost-lovebirds that were just a few feet away from her. 

"I'm freezing," Zara said. "Can you drop me back off at the dock?"

"Sure," Nick said cheerfully, already turning the boat around. 

Zara got off, put the wakeboard back in the storage on their dock, and before she even told them goodbye they had driven off.

"Maybe I'll go to the bar tonight and bring some hot guy back," Zara thought bitterly. "See how you like it then, Gina." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just say that I don't even ship Nikolai/Genya in the books, but in this AU I do, probably because in these identities I thought of for them are a little different from the books. And the lake storyline will go on for at least 2 more chapters, let me just say.


	6. The Lake-Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gina and Nick's relationship develops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I know that there was the tag Nikolai/Alina, but I might delete that one. Kinda thought the story would take a different direction, and now I'm not really feeling Nikolai/Alina.

"You ever go on a sunset cruise here," Gina asked Nick as they drove off.

"Why no I haven't," he answered. "I just moved a few weeks ago, remember?"

Gina nodded. "Well, maybe when it's time, we can go to the main channel right here and watch."

"Well, a sunset sounds like a very cliche romance setting, but I would very much like to do that," Nick said. 

Gina rolled her eyes and looked away. It was still before noon, so they had a whole day to waste. She suggested going jet skiing. 

"Together," he asked suggestively, a smug little smirk on his face.

Gina rolled her eyes again. "I have two, genius." She made a baby face and in a baby voice said, "Aw, does my baby need to go back to pre-k to learn how to count? Use your fingers if you need." She wiggled her fingers. 

"Aw, did you just call me my baby," Nick responded. 

Gina threw a small piece of rope at him. 

He smiled and drove off to their cove. When they got there, he parked his boat while Gina got the keys for the jet skis. 

"Hey, uh, about the whole jet ski thing," she started. "I don't really know how to drive one that well..."

Nick just raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he put on a life vest and went over to her dock. 

"Well then why don't we ride together," he suggested. "Last I checked, you're above the minimum age to drive one of these, so we can just go out to a place where it's not crowded, and I can teach you."

Gina nodded as she put on her life vest. She pointed to the jet ski she wanted, and together they pushed it off and climbed on.

"Wanna have some fun first," he asked, a mischievous smile on his face. She grinned back and nodded. 

Once they got out of the cove, he said, "Hold on to your hats," and a few seconds later, pulled down hard on the gas and they flew off. 

Gina screamed and gripped his waist tightly. He released a maniacal laugh. They were going at least 65 miles an hour, maybe more, Gina was too busy praying to look. She gripped Nick and rested her cheek against his back, leaning into him. 

After another minute or so of that, he slowed down dramatically and turned to go into a cove. 

He turned around slightly to look at her and smiled. Gina realized what she was doing and quickly sat up straight. That made him laugh, and after a few seconds, she laughed too. 

"Alright, time for you to learn how to drive this," Nick said. They switched places. He put his hands on hers and, very gently, showed her how to turn, which was the gas and brake, and how to gradually increase and decrease speed. Within thirty minutes, she was already great at it. 

"Wow, thanks Nick," she exclaimed after they were done. "Now I finally know how to do this without crashing and or dying! You're a great teacher by the way."

"Thanks, my dear, I try, I try," he replied. 

Gina raised an eyebrow. "Did you just call me my dear?" 

He dipped his hand in the water and splashed her. She kicked her foot and splashed back. 

Within a few minutes, they had both fallen off the jet ski and were in a full out splash war. 

After a few minutes, they called a truce, and promptly got back on and drove off. 

They drove around for a few more hours, then went back to the docks to get a boat for the sunset cruise. 

They took Gina's, mostly since her playlist was already wired up, and went out to the main channel to watch. 

"I had fun today," Nick stated once they were settled. 

"Me too," Gina replied. 

They sat in silence for another minute until he said, "Gina, I think I want to kiss you." 

She sat there for a second, then responded, "Then why don't you?"

He leaned over and kissed her. Within seconds, they were sprawled out on one of the couches, Nick laying on top of Gina, kissing passionately. They broke apart to breathe. Gina looked up at him, smiling. He smiled back, then leaned down and kissed her again. Her fingers wound in his hair, and he did the same to her. 

"I didn't know you were such a good kisser," she said after they broke apart again. 

He smirked and replied, "Why would you doubt me?" 

She smiled broadly and pulled him back down to kiss again. 

After the sunset was done and it started to get dark, they returned to her dock to put away the boat. 

"Well, such a shame this day has ended," she stated as she started to lift the boat. 

"Who says it's over," he said. 

She looked over at him. 

"Well, I don't want to stay out here when it gets dark and cold, and I highly doubt we can go to my house without raising some eyebrows, to say the least..."

"So why not go to my house," he asked. Gina looked at him. He looked serious. 

She finished lifting the boat, and they put the cover on quickly, then she looked at him again and said, "Okayyy, so you're asking me to go to your house. To spend the night, most likely..."

"You have such a dirty mind," he exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "I'm just saying we could put on our jammies, maybe watch a movie or something, and then go to sleep in separate beds in separate rooms!"

She shoved him playfully and started putting everything away for the night. 

"Okay," she agreed, sounding reluctant. He cheered and ran off to his house immediately. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head, and went up to the house to get ready. 

She put on her most comfortable pajamas, a white tank top and matching shorts, then went to his house and rang the bell. 

He was just wearing pajama pants, and quickly noticed that she wasn't wearing much either, then quickly coughed and went inside. 

They were too tired to watch a movie, just talked for a while until they got too tired. 

Just when Gina was about to suggest going to bed, Nick pulled out a bottle of spirits and asked, "Do you like to drink?"

They both had mischievous expressions on their faces. He quickly started to get out glasses, but she waved him off and simply picked up the bottle.

He smirked. "Well, I'm surprised, but I just wonder if you can keep up."

"Watch me," she said, then tipped back the bottle and started to chug it. After a few seconds, Nick snatched the bottle and did the same. They went back and forth like this until the bottle was all done, and by then they were totally wasted.

Gina staggered to the couch and plunked down on it, then patted the space next to her. 

"I thought...thought you wanted to sleep in...separate beds," he slurred. 

"Just to make sure you don't get alcohol poisoning," she replied, sounding like she was fighting for control of her voice. "Plus who said that's what I wanted?"

He smirked and plopped down on the couch next to her. She leaned her head into his shoulder. They were both asleep in moments. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, that was a lot longer and honestly a lot fluffier than I expected. Okay, I'm definitely just making the ships be Nikolai/Genya, no Nikolai/Alina. Please comment thoughts and suggestions and enjoy!


	7. The Lake-Part Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls, plus Nick, have to go home...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this storyline, I'm not as sure where I'm going, I have about one chapter planned for the future but that's about it. If anyone has suggestions that would be great!

The next morning, Gina woke up without a hangover, much to her surprise. Suddenly she remembered yesterday, learning how to drive a jet ski, the sunset cruise, the drinking...

She sat up straight. She had been leaning against Nick while she slept. 

Gina went to a small bathroom and saw how she looked. Her hair was mussed, there were small bags under her eyes, and her makeup was smudged. She quickly washed it off, tidied her hair, and tried to get rid of the dark circles best she could. 

What would the girls think? She had spent the night at Nick's house, was looking pretty bad, and every once in a while she had a bit of a headache from last night. 

When she came back to the main room, Nick was up and about. He looked way better than her. 

"I gotta get back," Gina said. Her voice sounded way too sleepy for her liking. 

"What's the rush," he asked dramatically. "You realize we still have the rest of the day to get back home!"

"Yeah, but," she started but was interrupted by him coming close and grabbing her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they kissed. 

"Okay, for real though, I gotta go," she said when they pulled away. 

She left his house and ran over to hers, still in her tank top and shorts. When she got there she realized she didn't have any keys. 

After a few seconds of pondering, she sighed and accepted that she would have to knock or ring the bell and have the girls let her in. 

Zara let her in, smirking. 

"Shut up," Gina said, walking to her room to get changed. 

> They went home that afternoon, ready for another work week. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's like really short, but just take the fluff.


	8. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few days after the lake, Gina gets sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment suggestions! I'm planning to do several fics soon, one of them Grisha related, so look out for that.

When Gina woke up Wednesday morning, she immediately felt like she was in an oven. 

"Whyyy," she said. Her throat felt horrible. 

She sat up and tried to walk, but her body didn't want to work with her. She felt back on the bed.

"Alyssa," she said as loudly as she could.

Alyssa came to her room almost immediately. "What is it," she asked. 

"I'm sick," Gina stated. "And I want some water."

Alyssa nodded and ran to the kitchen to get water, then sat on Gina's bed while she drank it. 

"Thanks," Gina said. 

"No problem," replied Alyssa. "I can give my shift to someone else today and take care of you if you want!"

"Alyssa," Zara said as she walked into Gina's room. "Do you want a ride or not?"

"No thanks," Alyssa said. "This one's sick." She pointed at Gina, who tried to wave, but her arm was like jello so she just dropped it. 

"From what, an STD," Zara said sarcastically. Gina picked up a pen and tried to throw it at Zara, but it just fell to her feet. 

Zara smirked and walked away, heels clacking.

"What was that about," Alyssa asked.

Gina shook her head. Alyssa raised her eyebrows and made eye contact with Gina for nearly a minute until the red haired woman sighed and answered, "That last night at the lake, I spent the night at Nick's house. We didn't do anything though! Just drank a little then slept!"

Alyssa's jaw fell to the floor. "Did you two...kiss?"

Gina sighed and responded, "Duh!" 

"The neighbor," Alyssa said. "That neighbor that does nothing but annoy us and park his car in my spot!"

"Well maybe he annoys you," Gina exclaimed. "But he's actually a very charming person who knows how to drive a jet ski and can chug spirits without getting a hangover!"

Alyssa just smiled and shook her head, then got up and asked, "Do you want anything for breakfast?"

Gina shook her head. Alyssa nodded and walked out. 

Gina suddenly felt like the room was on fire. She scrambled to get out of the covers, falling to the floor in the process. She still felt extremely hot, so she started to roll up her pajama pants and shirt sleeves. 

Alyssa came back to find Gina sprawled on the floor and panting. 

"You okay," Alyssa asked cautiously. 

Gina shook her head. "It's too hot," she said. 

The white haired woman shook her head and helped Gina sit on top of the covers, then looked through some of her drawers and found a pair of shorts and a cropped tank top. She held them out to her friend. 

Gina grabbed them and walked drunkenly to the bathroom to change. 

Alyssa got on her phone to officially change her shift, then sat down on Gina's bed. 

Alyssa was always jealous of Gina's room. She had the biggest room, including a TV and an outlet that was right next to the bed so that she could still use her phone while it was plugged in. 

Gina's phone was getting a ton of messages. Just out of curiosity, Alyssa glanced over to see. 

Most where from a contact that was just a heart in Gina's phone, and all of the messages were either saying to text back or flattering her. 

Alyssa rolled her eyes, smiling, just as Gina came out of the bathroom. She threw her old clothes in the laundry bin and fell back on the bed. 

"You got some texts," Alyssa stated. She gave Gina her phone and sat back a little to give her space. 

Gina's fingers were moving a mile a minute, no doubt texting Nick back. 

Just as she was putting the phone down, they heard a tap on the window and looked over at it. 

Nick was standing in his window, throwing small objects like pencils at Gina's window. 

Gina sighed and did her best to walk across her room, then grabbed a piece of paper and wrote on it with a marker. 

She went to the window and held up the paper. It read I'M SICK. 

Nick made a pouty face, then seemed to notice what she was wearing and sat down on the floor, eyes never leaving her.

Gina rolled her eyes then went back to her bed. 

Alyssa stayed by her side most of the day, mostly to get her water and medicine and keep her entertained, and by the end of the day Gina felt better. 

"I'm gonna go get some takeout," Alyssa stated, then stood up and started walking away. 

"If you see Nick, tell him that yes I am sick and no I wasn't just blowing him off," Gina said. Alyssa gave a thumbs up and left. 

Gina leaned back, then grabbed her phone and looked at it. There were a few texts from Nick. 

She smiled and responded to them, then put her phone away and immediately fell asleep. 

 


	9. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A storm ravages the town, and the girls have to stay inside with each other with no power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This exact scenario is happening to me right now, I live kinda near where the hurricane is so there's a storm happening to me. Lots of writing coming!

"And this storm is expected to roll through by tomorrow morning," the weatherman said moments before the power went out. 

"No," Zara exclaimed. She put her hand on the TV and breathed, "No..."

Gina winced as a huge branch struck her car then rolled off. Alyssa's bike was starting to fall over. Everything of theirs outside except for Zara's were getting impacted. It was like she could control the wind. 

They made sure all the windows were closed, and Alyssa started getting out some big bowls and cups and filling them up with water in case the water went out. 

"Oh, my company is gonna be so screwed," she realized. 

Gina laid a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, relax. Could be worse. You could work for an insurance company."

Alyssa looked up at her and smiled. Gina smiled back, gave her shoulder a squeeze, then went back to the living room. 

"You'd better be glad I'm paying for home insurance," Zara said to them. Gina nodded her head frantically. 

"Well, looks like we're stuck for a bit, unless you guys wanna drive away in this storm," Alyssa said, coming into the living room. "Hopefully this won't be like the time our periods were in sync."

They all shuddered at the memory. That had not been a fun week. 

Gina's phone was blowing up. She seemed to know who it was immediately and went into the other room so she wouldn't disturb the others. 

Just as she closed the bathroom door, her phone rang. The contact was a heart, a fox, a bride, and a groom emoji(she had put that as a joke and now was deathly afraid of anyone finding her phone). She answered and sat on the floor. 

"Hey," she said. 

"Hey," Nick replied. 

"Did your power go out," she asked. 

"Nope," he said smugly. "I have my own generators."

Gina looked out the window. The storm had calmed for a second. 

"I'm coming over," she stated. She hung up and left the bathroom. 

As she got an umbrella and opened the door, Zara finally asked, "And just where are you going?" 

"Out," Gina said, sticking her nose up a little bit. Then, without another word, she went outside and closed the door. 

Their house was a bungalow with a fairly large porch, and at that moment she was so grateful for the porch. It gave her time to open the umbrella and brace herself before she ran to Nick's. 

"Forgive me," she said to her hair, then ran out into the open. She didn't even bother to close the gate, just ran down the sidewalk a bit and up the path to Nick's house. 

When she finally got to his porch, she stopped running and closed the umbrella. She was panting when she knocked. 

Nick came to the door a few seconds later. She left her umbrella on the porch and came inside. 

His house was definitely bigger than theirs, and it was decorated in an Art Deco style. Gina had studied art and different eras in school, and this place was so perfect to her that she was simply awed. 

"I appreciate you coming over and everything," Nick said, bringing her out of her imaginative state. "But if you're going to keep dripping water on the floor, I ask that you at least go into the bathroom." 

Gina looked down and realized that he was right. She was dripping water on his beautiful floors. 

"Oh Saints," she said. "I am so sorry! The floors are so beautiful, too! Heart of pine, I believe."

"You are correct," he replied. "And you don't have to worry. They'll dry. What I am worried about, though, is your clothes. They don't look like they handle rainwater very well." 

Sure enough, her clothes were getting wrinkly and they did not feel very well. 

Nick disappeared upstarts, then came back a minute later with a shirt that would be pretty long on her and said, "Here, you can put this on." 

She smiled and took the shirt, then went into the bathroom to change. She came back out wearing just the shirt, which reached the middle of her thighs and was much too big in the shoulders. 

Nick stared at her for a few seconds, then stated, "I never thought you would look nice in one of my old fraternity shirts. But then again, you always look amazing, so what should I have expected?"

She smiled broadly, and the way her eyes crinkled up and small dimples appeared just made Nick's heart twist. 

She left her wet clothes on the side of the tub, then sat down on the couch. He sat down next to her. 

"So," she started. "A fraternity, huh?" 

"Yep," he replied. "Did you expect me to not be in a fraternity?"

She laughed slightly and said, "No, I totally expected you to be in one. Rich parents?"

"Yeah," he answered. "Although they begged me not to be in one. So of course I signed up the very next day, right in front of them."

"Well at least they didn't stop you," Gina said, "I originally wanted to just be a makeup artist, but they said it was a job for poor people and my talents could be used elsewhere and stuff like that."

She touched her ear self consciously. There was a small tear at the top instead of skin. She always swept her hair over it to cover it. 

"Well this just got depressing," Nick stated. Gina looked over at him and dropped her hand. 

"How come you live with Alyssa and Zara," he asked. "You clearly have enough money to live on your own. Why slum it with them?"

"Okay, for the record," she replied teasingly. "Our house is a very charming bungalow with more than enough space. And we're best friends, and they don't have enough money to survive around here by themselves. We went house hunting together, fell in love with this place, and so I volunteered to buy it. They pay me small amounts of rent, I make the big payments, and we share things like groceries and utilities." 

"So you pay all that money and don't even charge them a ton for rent," Nick said. "That's really nice." 

He smiled. She nodded and smiled a little and said, "Well, they give me great friendship. And gas money."

They locked eyes and burst out laughing. 

Just then, the power fizzed out. 

Nick facepalmed himself. "The batteries must have run out," he said. 

"Well, at least it's not dark outside," Gina said encouragingly. "And the water is still on. Things are always more fun in the dark." 

Nick raised an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at him. "Not what I meant!" 

He laughed and stood up. She sat up straight and adjusted her shirt. 

He crossed the room and turned on the radio. But instead of turning it to the news, he went to a music channel. The announcer stated that the next song would be a tango. 

He raised an eyebrow at her. She smirked. 

He grabbed the radio, and they went to a nearly empty room. He set it down and went to one end of the room. She went to the other.

The music started. He walked to the middle of the room and held out a hand. She stepped delicately over and took it. 

They let go and took a few steps forwards and backwards, moving in perfect time. After a few seconds, he stopped, and she practically fell into him. They stayed close to each other and stepped forward and backwards, occasionally turning or leaning close. 

They stood in one spot. She moved her right foot forward, backwards, tapped it a few times, then wrapped her leg around his. He dipped her, and she pulled her leg back and placed it a little farther back than her left foot for balance. They locked eyes for a second, then he pulled her back up, and they continued the dance. 

At the end, they stood close to each other, and he bent down and kissed her. She put one leg back and dropped an arm. They held that for a second, then the song ended. 

"I didn't know you were a good dancer," he stated when they broke apart. 

"Well, who says I didn't study that too," she replied. "The tango, salsa, and flamenco were always my favorites. Things like the waltz are way too stiff."

"I agree," he said. "Although that's what I was trained in. Never got to do flamenco or salsa, though." 

"Well maybe I'll teach you sometime," she said with a wink. He winked back, and they kissed again. 

They moved to the couch, never breaking the kiss, and sat down, practically falling into each other. 

She realized her shirt had shifted and moved to pull it down. He followed the movement and smiled. She smiled smugly back and kissed him again. 

The power came back on a few seconds later, and they cheered. He turned the TV on, and they spent the rest of the day watching Seinfeld. They never left each other's arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this was my favorite chapter to write, I love writing them. Please comment thoughts and ideas and enjoy!


	10. Dark Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick walks in on Gina singing Dark Paradise by Lana Del Rey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably try and focus on the other characters more in the next few chapters, but I just love these two so much.

"And there's no remedy for memory," Gina sang as she adjusted some plants and watered them. "Your face is, like a melody, it won't leave my head..."

Nick passed by the doorway and noticed her. He was about to say something, but she didn't notice him, just kept singing her song. 

"Your soul is haunting me, and telling me, but I wish I was dead..."

She spritzed water on the leaves of a plant. She had a nice voice, not very high pitched or deep, just in between and natural sounding. 

"Every time I close my eyes," she sang, turning away from the plants, still not noticing Nick in the doorway. "It's like a dark paradise. No one compares to you, I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side." 

She had her eyes closed and was now walking slowly around the room. 

"Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise..."

Nick realized then that he would give anything to hear her singing those words again. It was so melodic, and even though he didn't recognize the song, he bet good money that he would like Gina's version better. 

"No one compares to you," she continued. "I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side." 

She opened her eyes, noticed him, and startled. The water inside the spray bottle she was holding splashed around. 

"Nick! How long were you," she said, a little out of breath. She pointed vaguely to the doorway. 

"You have a lovely voice," he said. "And how come your clothes get more and more raunchy every time I see you?" 

She was wearing an oversized thin gold shirt/sweater that hung off one shoulder a little and a pair of short white shorts that she probably couldn't bend over too much in in public. 

"Oh come on," she replied. "This is nothing like last time." 

She was referencing the storm, and when she wore only one of his old shirts that went to the middle of her thighs and danced the tango in it. 

"True, but you're probably going to wear that in public, and the other thing was just for me." 

She raised a flame colored eyebrow but said nothing, just watered one more houseplant and put the bottle down. 

"How'd you get in," she asked. She had just realized that she hadn't given him a key, and the girls usually locked the door, but sometimes Zara seemed to think she was too good for that. 

"I found the spare," he answered. "Really Gina? The mailbox? That's the best place you could hide it?" 

"Shut up," she said playfully. "We don't have anywhere else, it would either get exposed to the elements or fall between the porch boards or get spider-webbed in place." 

"We can find a better one later," he stated, then put the key back in his pocket and said nothing else. 

"Anyways, what was that song you were singing," asked Nick. 

"Dark Paradise," she responded. "By Lana Del Rey. Beautiful song." 

He nodded once, looking around at the plants. 

"Are these yours?"

She nodded. "Yep, well, technically, we all got them together, but I'm the one who takes care of them and stuff."

"Do they have names," he asked suddenly, then mentally slapped himself. Did people name their houseplants? Was that a thing?" 

"Of course," Gina answered. "These two are Adam and Molly, Zara named them since she's such a science nerd, these two are Aleksander and Sturmhond, Alyssa named them that, don't ask me why, and these two are Lizabeta and Vladimir, named after the Saints because I'm a history nerd."

"A history nerd, huh," he said. 

"You bet," she replied. "I absolutely love history, also where I started my love of makeup, since of course the ancients wore versions of it..." 

Nick smiled a little as she started going on and on about something he couldn't even understand. She was even facing him, just facing the floor and talking expressively. Her curls always bounced when she got excited or jumped up and down. Gina's hair was like the floppy ears of a mongrel, Alyssa had said once. Nick had defended Gina at the time, saying that she had very respectable hair, but they both just started laughing. 

"And then when they got to the enlightenment," Gina said, but Nick held up a finger to shush her and said, "Alright, that was probably great, except I understand none of it. You would make a great college teacher." 

They both started laughing uncontrollably, falling against each other, unable to restrain themselves. Eventually, Nick fell right off the couch, pulling Gina down with him. 

A few minutes later, after they calmed down a little and sat back on the couch, he asked, "Gina, where does our relationship stand? Like, we've never really been on a date, but according to the Sims we're past a budding romance..." 

"I think we're dating," she interrupted. "And did you make us in the Sims?!"

"Maybe," he said, grinning. 

They started laughing again. 


	11. Work Vacation-Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyssa goes on a company trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to focus on Zara soon, she really hasn't gotten a POV chapter that's long, but for now here's Alyssa.

"Bye guys," Alyssa yelled from the doorway. She heard a mutter from Zara and Gina wasn't home. 

_So much for a tearful goodbye,_ Alyssa thought as she locked the door and started lugging her bags towards the tall stairs. 

It was certainly an ordeal getting her backpack and suitcase down all the stone stairs (Gina had counted once;there were twenty steps each as long as Alyssa's shinbone), and by the time she got to the sidewalk the cab was already there. The driver looked impatient as he loaded her bags into the trunk. She sat in the back, told him where to go, and started reading. 

Even though they were in the capital city of the county, it was nearly an hour drive to the airport. Something about keeping the peace or something. When they finally got there, she paid the cab driver and got out. 

Thankfully, it was a work week with no vacations or major events happening, so the lines were short. Alyssa got through security and everything else pretty soon, so she had nearly an hour to spare before the plane took off. 

She was going on a work trip to the headquarters of her lighting company. Dva Stolba was far away, a small town that housed a lot of industrial companies simply because they had the space and you couldn't put industrial buildings in a heavily populated city. It was also where Alyssa was born, but she didn't mention that a whole lot. 

She spent the next hour and a half stalking, walking around, reading a little. She only had to go because once a year employees had to go to a meeting, mostly just so the CEO could keep track of how many people there were in each field. 

Finally, she boarded the plane. It would take a few hours to get there, only to stay for less than a day, then head back. 

But Alyssa couldn't deny how happy she was to have a paid-for vacation.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made her lighting company headquartered in Dva Stolba because that's technically where she got her powers and where they originated...I'm so clever ;) Also I made it a two parter because I write my stories directly on here, where it doesn't save, and I didn't have enough time to write this, so...here you go.


	12. Work Vacation-Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alyssa continues her work vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I really didn't wanna do this chapter. I mostly do this for Gina and Nick, not Alyssa. But, I have to finish what I start, so here you go. Please comment thoughts and ideas!

Alyssa got off the plane, still shaking soreness from her legs. She hadn't stood up once that whole plane ride, and her body was clearly not happy about it. Her body was never happy with her, but this was another thing. 

She awkwardly dragged her luggage to the exit, then got another cab to Dva Stolba. The town was nearly an hour away from the airport. It was too small to have any airports, even a private one. 

"I am so sick of travel," she muttered. 

The cab driver turned around a little bit and said, "I hear you. I have to drive all day, but at least I get paid to do it, not pay to do it." 

Alyssa nodded and closed her eyes. She realized her phone was still in airplane mode and went to turn it off. She never really used her phone, it was old and she really only had it for work and to check the time. 

She turned off airplane mode, put the phone down for a second, then looked again. 

There were dozens of texts from the group chat the girls were in, plus some from Nick. Alyssa groaned a little and logged into her phone to read them. 

Apparently they had friends over, got drunk, someone tried to swing from a tree branch near the house, and the branch had broken off and landed right in Gina's window. The texts were pretty chaotic, and Nick's were all about how his friends didn't mean to wreck the house. 

When she got to the hotel, Alyssa checked in and went to her room, then immediately facetimed Gina. 

The redhead answered almost immediately. She was wearing cat eyeliner and red lipstick and wore one of her favorite dresses, a baby blue retro babydoll style dress with cherries on it. 

"I got your texts," Alyssa said immediately. "How much is it gonna cost? Do you need to sleep on the couch or in someone's room or something? Do I have to pay since I make a decent amount of money?" 

"Whoa whoa whoa," Gina said, holding up her hands as if stopping a horse. Her long red nails that Alyssa really didn't like seemed especially long today. "Don't worry about it, the person who stole my vodka and broke my window is paying, that's the least they can do, we already found a company and stuff. In the meantime, I'm staying with Nick, at least for the nights. He has so many bedrooms I could probably have three to myself if I wanted." 

"Oh," Alyssa replied. "Okay." She knew Gina and Nick were definitely in a relationship, past one-night-stand status, but it was so...sudden. She knew Zara was jealous of Gina, but Alyssa was almost jealous of Nick. 

"When will you get back again," the redhead asked. 

"Tomorrow at around noon," the white haired woman replied.  

Gina nodded. Alyssa realized that she'd missed the way her friend's curls bobbed every time she nodded or moved her head a lot. 

"Well, I gotta go, bye Alyssa," Gina stated suddenly. They both waved, and Gina ended the chat before Alyssa could even say bye. 

She saw her own reflection in the phone screen and sighed. Even with her witch nails, Gina looked amazing as always that day. She could just as easily be a burlesque model as she could be a medicine commercial one. 

Alyssa had her meeting in a few hours, so she quickly put on her business clothes and got her notes and things ready. They would have someone speak for an hour or so about new plans and what everyone would have to do in their divisions, then just meet and greet and have a late dinner. She smoothed her skirt, put her hair in a high ponytail that would highlight her face structure or something, and put on some kitten heels that would hopefully give her a teeny bit of reach in a room full of intimidating people. She was always a standout, but not for the right reasons. 

Her division, one of the highest ranking ones, was the second meeting. Everyone had a seat and prepared for mind-numbing boredom. 

It went as well as it could have, and soon enough the other meetings had finished and it was time to go to the banquet hall. Alyssa went straight for a seat, not caring about the food and drinks set up or the fact that the CEO was entering the room. 

The CEO. He was an undeniably attractive man, always wore all black and made the buildings and decor black even though it's a lighting company, and was a very mysterious person. His mother apparently worked as a high ranking official somewhere in the company. 

Alyssa had no interest in schmoozing him, so she just started texting in the group chat, hoping to just text with the girls until she could leave. 

She was doing just that when she heard a shift and looked up. 

The CEO was sitting across from her. 

Right there. 

"Oh, um, hello," she said awkwardly. 

"Hello," he responded, a ghost of a smile on his face. "What's your name?"

"Alyssa Starkov," she answered immediately, trying to gain some dignity. "I'm a territory sales manager here."

"Pleasure to meet you," he said, shaking her hand. "I think you know who I am, so I'm just going to say one more thing;why is your hair like that?" 

Alyssa blinked for a second then said, "Oh! Oh, well, it's from a thing that happened a little while back, I was working late by myself and this thing malfunctioned and there was a flash and I passed out and when I woke up my hair had gone completely white." 

He was silent, observing. 

Alyssa silently grunted and realized that she had rambled and he probably didn't care at all and was just acting nice. 

"Something that happened at my company," he asked. She nodded. 

"Well, I'm very sorry, Ms. Starkov," he said. "My condolences to your former hair color."

He stood up and said goodbye, then walked off to some other tables. 

Alyssa couldn't believe that she had just told the CEO something lawsuit-worthy and he only gave his condolences for her hair. He was self assured, she would give him that. 

She had to get up somewhat early the next day, and she was so sick of travel and would have to deal with the broken window when she got home, but she couldn't stop thinking about the very important person she had talked to last night. 

Maybe he only noticed her because white hair in a high ponytail is perhaps one of the most noticeable things in a room filled with dark suits and dresses. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I really don't know anything about business or lighting companies, so I looked up lighting company jobs and picked the first one I saw. It doesn't have anything to do with her powers in the book. Also I added the last line in there because I thought I needed to use it and to curve any romantic things that people may think of. Please comment thoughts and ideas!


	13. Public Pool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zara goes to a public pool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna do more Nick and Gina next, I just had to do this for Zara since she's barely in it.

Zara slept in late, like usual, and when she did wake up, it was extremely bright. The window was right in front of her bed, and she was really wondering why she had chosen this spot for the bed. 

She grumbled for a few minutes, tossing and turning and throwing the covers over her head. She finally got up a few minutes later. Alyssa was on her vacation, and the only evidence Gina had even been home in the past 12 hours was some rumpled couch cushions and her dirty clothes from the previous day in the laundry bin. 

Zara got dressed, then went to her favorite coffee shop to get breakfast and think about what she was going to do during the day. The repair people were coming that day for Gina's window, so she would have to get out of the house. 

She was leaning over her coffee when she suddenly jolted up. The pool! It was the perfect thing to do on a hot day like this. 

She finished her breakfast, then went home to get ready. 

The pool was crowded, and Zara definitely turned some heads as she walked in and down the sides of the pool to get to a chair. She wore a bikini in her signature dark blue with white trim. Her hair was let down and fell into its natural loose curls. She was average height, but always managed to look like a model nonetheless. 

She plopped her things down on a chair, then went to the diving board. 

Little kids were running around, jumping in, screaming and laughing. Zara always hated little kids, and this was just awful. It didn't help that there was a play structure right next to the pool. But she put on her best "scary walk" and walked in a straight path to the diving board. The kids all got out of her way. She smirked a little when she got to the diving board without interruption or lines. 

She did a perfect dive into the water, making a very small splash. But then, of course, the little kids had to scream and jump in right after her, acting like the tiny idiots they were. 

She sunbathed a little, read part of a magazine, then decided to swim some more. 

She looked up and immediately realized that that wasn't going to happen and she should probably leave immediately. The pool was packed, there wasn't even enough room to really jump in, and everyone looked packed together like sardines. And most of the people were kids under 13. Great. 

Sighing, she packed up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and started walking to the exit. 

"Leaving already," someone asked. 

"Yep," she answered. "It's a minefield of babies." 

The person nodded. Zara scary walked to the fence and left as fast as she could. 

She watched TV for the rest of the day with Alyssa. The white haired woman was exhausted, but she still wanted to watch the news and funny shows. 

"Has Gina been back," asked Alyssa. 

Zara shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alyssa's face fall. Gina had always been home when they were, always texted and facetimed with them for hours if they wanted, was reliable. But now she had probably moved out without telling them. 

"Bye guys," Gina said as she ran down the stairs and through the door, large bag in hand.

Zara and Alyssa looked at each other, shocked. She had been there the whole time and then just made her escape with what looked like luggage. 

So they watched TV with each other until they went to bed, wondering if Gina might come back to them. 


	14. Go To Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Gina spend the night at his house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, nothing happens in this chapter, their relationship will just be fluff and kissing. Please comment ideas and thoughts! Enjoy!

"Bye guys," Gina said as she ran down the stairs, which were just a few feet away from the front door. She slung her big purse over her shoulder as she ran through the doorway, not bothering to wait for her roommates' reactions. She ran to Nick's house, heels clomping. Everyone said she didn't need to wear high heels, she was already tall enough, but even tall people want a boost sometimes. Plus, they were cute and made her legs look even longer. 

As she got to his door, she wondered if it was even locked. She pushed down the handle and sure enough, it swung open. She put her purse on the little table next to the doorway and said loudly, "You really should start locking your door. Big cities usually have higher crime rates. And we live in the middle of the city." 

"Well, if I'm here, they'll be too scared to go within 50 feet of the house," Nick said from the top of the stairs. 

Gina just smiled and made a big deal out of kicking off her shoes. She had on a pinafore dress that was a little too short to be considered safe and the heels only emphasized that. 

They both went to the living room. Just when Gina was about to ask her question, Nick's phone rang. 

"It's work," he said when he took it out. "Brb." 

He pressed the button to answer it and left the room. Gina sighed and rolled over on her back, looking at the ceiling. 

She stayed like that for a minute, then started rolling around on the couch, drumming her fingers, kicking her feet in the air. She had been on a few long phone calls with work, and none of them were pleasant. Just for fun, she went to the window and looked out of it dramatically, then said, "Oh, when will my beloved return?" She giggled then went back to the couch and flopped on her face into the cushions. 

Nick came back into the room then. Gina was laying facedown on the couch, butt in the air, arms flopped down. She realized her awkward position and quickly sat up straight. He chuckled and sat down next to her.

"What the," he said, and Gina looked out the window he was looking at. The sun had already almost gone down, and it would probably be dark within the next thirty minutes. It was only dinnertime. 

"Well, looks like we're having some late night dinner," Nick said jokingly. Gina laughed and shoved him playfully. 

"Seriously though," he said. "I'm starving." 

"That's why we have the Dominoes app," she replied, already pulling out her phone. "We're getting one cheese and one black olive and garlic, and that is final." 

He looked like he was going to protest, but she held up a finger, and he shushed his mouth. She smiled a little and relaxed her hand. 

"Apparently there's gonna be a killer party at a bar tonight," said Nick. They locked eyes and shared a mischievous look. 

"Good thing I brought my club clothes," said Gina. She went to her purse and got out a sparkly black skirt and sparkly long sleeved gold top. 

"Why on Earth did you bring that," he asked. 

She shrugged and answered, "I usually have these in here, just in case." 

She went to another room to change, much to his disappointment, then came back to the living room. 

"One last thing," she said, then pulled something out from her purse. It was a container of glitter. She sprinkled it over both of them, then put it away without another word. 

They got an Uber to the bar, and sure enough, it was crowded and there was music blaring. They both whooped and ran in. 

Several hours later, they found each other and decided to leave. Nick claimed he had permanent hearing damage, and Gina's hair was messed up, which was always a sign that a lot of effort had been put into messing it up. Her hair was structured in a way that made it almost impossible to mess up or get it out of shape. Alyssa called it the Impenetrable Fortress. Zara said that, "Whomstever destroyeth it shall be ruler of Ravka." Gina just said that she didn't even use hairspray. 

They got an Uber back home, which was a good idea since both were getting a little tipsy. They got to Nick's house at nearly 1:00 AM. They were both exhausted and pretty much about to collapse. 

"That was fun," Gina slurred. Her mascara was running a little. 

"Shuper fun," replied Nick. He slurred it so bad that super sounded like shuper. 

They both took off their shoes, Gina took off her makeup, and they collapsed into his bed without another word. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gina's club outfit is literally my club outfit, except I usually don't put glitter in my hair since it doesn't get out!


	15. Am I Still Beautiful?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gina is in a car crash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super angsty and stuff, and I'm not really used to having that in this story, so hope you enjoy.

"Yes I'm being cautious," Gina said into her phone. She was driving in her convertible, happy as could be. "Why wouldn't I be cautious? I'm too pretty for recklessness." 

Her light was red, but according to the crosswalk signs, there was only two more seconds, so she kept going at the same pace. It turned green the second she got to the intersection. 

An expensive looking black car ran the red light and slammed directly into the driver's side of her car. 

The glass in the windows shattered, falling inwards and cutting everything in its path. Gina passed out immediately. The last thing she heard was Nick, on the phone, asking what the noise was and if she was okay. 

She woke up in a hospital bed. She knew she was awake, but she didn't want to open her eyes quite yet. One of them hurt terribly. 

She opened them a few seconds later. Well, only the right one opened. The left must be swollen shut. 

Alyssa, Zara, and Nick were sitting nearby. Alyssa was the first one to notice Gina and ran over to her. 

"Holy Saints," exclaimed the white haired woman. "Are you okay? Who crashed into you? Your car's in the shop right now, do you wanna call the shop owner? How do you feel?" 

"Well, my left eye hurts pretty bad, and my skin feels super tingly, but other than that I think I'm fine," replied the redhead. 

The others exchanged a glance. Gina was about to ask what the matter was but then she noticed her arm, which was on top of the sheets. 

The usually perfect skin was scarred all over. And they were ugly scars, twisting and big and Gina could immediately tell they wouldn't heal. 

The others remained silent as she slowly felt her body, discovering all of the scars. Her left eye was still shut. 

She felt her face, and it was the same as the rest of her skin. Scarred, painful, ugly. 

She was ugly. She was covered in scars that would never heal, thanks to some idiot she hoped would pay dearly. 

"Mirror," she said to Alyssa, holding out her hand. 

"Are you sure," her friend started, but Gina just flexed her hand and said,  _"Mirror."_

Alyssa grabbed a handheld mirror and held her breath as Gina grabbed it. 

She held it up to her face, took in her appearance for less than a second, and dropped the mirror like it was cursed. She screamed. 

Her left eye was gone. Her eyelid had been sewn together, and there was no bulge where the eyeball would be. It was gone. 

"They had to take it out," Zara explained sheepishly. "It was practically falling out of the socket and torn up." 

Gina didn't want to look at the mirror. She didn't want to talk or even leave the hospital. 

She was hideous. Her beauty, her number one feature, was ruined. She wanted to face the person who crashed into her, a piece of glass in hand, and cut them up the same way they had done to her. She wanted revenge. 

But for now, she just cried. It was strange, feeling the tears only on one side. She cried, and it was an ugly cry. At least it matched her appearance. 

Zara and Alyssa silently left the room. Nick stayed and sat down on the bed. 

"How can you bear to look at me," she asked, facing him. "How? I look like a monster. Worse than a monster. How can you stand to even face me?"

He hesitated for a second, then answered, "Maybe the person knew that it's definitely illegal to have a couple that's this good looking. But they didn't succeed. They didn't accomplish their goal." 

"What," Gina replied. "Are you...what?" 

He didn't respond. 

"Nick," she said, gripping his arm intensely. "Promise me you will answer this truthfully. Am I still beautiful?" 

"Yes," he said without a second of hesitation. "Yes you are. And nothing will ever change that. Ever." 

And then she smiled, and it was the most heart wrenching thing Nick had ever seen. 

"Promise," she asked. 

"Promise." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this, I might have to start another fic about people being angsty ;). And just saying, I am a very revenge-oriented person, so I would totally be thinking what Gina's thinking. Please comment your thoughts on this one!

**Author's Note:**

> I made Genya's eyes golden brown because I think that's more realistic, and I know she would probably just be a makeup artist but I'm not sure how they would survive if they only worked those jobs! Also, I know it's pretty short, but I just wanted to get this out there before I meet Leigh tomorrow morning!! If you can't tell, this is inspired by my own life right now because it's the weekend and I'm going to the lake soon. Please r&r, and most importantly, enjoy!


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